Recording an Acoustic Guitar

Anytime you're going to take on the task to try and record live instruments to computer, CD, DAT or cassette, it can be a difficult task. Take an Acoustic Guitar for example, a great guitar could sound awful if recorded the wrong way. However; a awful guitar could sound magnificent if recorded in the right room with the right conditions. Here is the "breakdown" if you're going to record an Acoustic Guitar.

Materials: Acoustic Guitar

Microphones (condenser)

Mic Stands for Microphones

Recording Equipment/ Software

1. What you need to start off with is a soundproof room. Yes, a soundproof room similar to a vocal booth so you can turn up you mic sensitivity real high. Make sure no ambient noise or echo bounces off the wall because every sound will be heard. You might take care to remove all squeaky chairs and other similar items out the room. Also know ahead of time that you're going to need a good amount of space in order to place the mic stands around the guitar.

2. Make sure you record in a room with "Bounce." Sure you want you're room soundproof, but you don't want it completely dead to where the room has no feeling. Go by this ground rule, too much insulation can make a room too dead and too much sound reflection can affect the clarity. It takes a while to master, but you must try to get the balance just right in the room in order to get the best results from you're recordings.

3. Get good microphones, preferably condenser microphones with a cardioid pattern. And know that you're going to want to have unidirectional microphones with a small diagram. When doing this recording, stay away from the microphones that you use to record you're vocals as they are obsolete in this process. A large diagram microphone would also work for this process, but it's highly recommended.

4. This is the "X-Factor" when recording; you have to find the "sweet spot" in the room. This may really take some time to get down but find out how to get the best sound by placing the microphone in different positions around the guitar. For example, if you were to point the mic in the direction of the guitar sound hole, it would probably give off a more powerful sound as oppose to just placing the mic on the fret board. Experiment and do different takes until you get the perfect recording you're looking for!